Soothing Snow's Nightmare
by emeraldgirl503
Summary: A short one-shot of Charming comforting Snow after a nightmare, inspired by season 2, episode 6.


Charming lay on his side, watching his wife sleep. For the first time in months, she looked peaceful. Ever since he had woken her from the curse, Snow had been tossing and turning and crying out in the middle of the night, battling against horrible nightmares and terrifying visions. The dreams had finally started subsiding, to the point where Snow had been able to go full weeks without any sleep interruptions, until the visit from Regina at their formal wedding ceremony had reignited Snow's fears.

Tonight, though, Snow had fallen asleep quickly. She was a heavy sleeper, which always made Charming a little nervous. While Snow battled imaginary demons and horrible fantasies, Charming was cursed with memories: memories of the woman he loved lying in a glass coffin in the forest, motionless and breathless. That was why he always found it so comforting to watch his wife sleep for a while before he too shut his eyes. Just watching her breathe, slowly, deeply, evenly, kept his own personal nightmares at bay.

Snow shifted slightly in her sleep, curling closer to him and knocking the blankets off her shoulder. Charming leaned forward and pressed a soft kiss against her exposed skin, then pulled the quilt back up to keep them both warm in the drafty bedroom. He then let his hand trail gently up her neck to the side of her face, where he tucked an errant black curl behind her ear before running the back of his fingers along her smooth cheek. Satisfied that she was comfortably asleep, Charming pressed a final kiss against her forehead and closed his eyes.

He was in the middle of a pleasant dream about a pregnant Snow when Snow's frantic shouts and restless thrashing woke him from a deep sleep. Based on the darkness of the room, it couldn't be more than a few hours later, most likely just after midnight. "Snow, my love, it's just a dream," he soothed, carefully rousing her while he propped himself up. "Snow, wake up. You're okay. You're safe."

Snow's eyes snapped open. "Charming," she whispered, looking up at him with tortured eyes. Charming hated to see her suffering like this. His wife was incredibly strong and had been through so much, and he wanted to be able to take away her pain now and let her finally experience the peace and safety that she so deserved. He rested his hand against her face, his thumb gently caressing her cheek, trying to give her as much comfort as he could without scaring her, since he knew it took her a few minutes to adjust to reality.

The panic in Snow's eyes slowly receded, and she lifted her hand and rested it against Charming's. Charming turned his hand so their palms met and curled his fingers around her ice-cold ones. "Tell me about it," he said softly.

Snow's voice was hollow as she described her nightmare. While she talked, Charming sat up and cradled her hands between his, trying to warm them and also unwilling to break their physical contact. As always, he silently listened while Snow described the frightening scenes that had disturbed her sleep, though it was sometimes very difficult for him to sit impassively and listen to her talk about such horrors.

When she finished, Charming leaned down and kissed her gently. Then he turned to the nightstand, where he always kept a candle. Lighting it, he said, "It will capture the nightmares." It was a familiar line, one he had repeated many times, but it seemed to bring Snow some comfort.

She nodded slightly, and Charming lay back down beside her. She slid close and tucked her arms against his chest, twining her legs with his. In a motion as familiar as breathing, he draped his arm over her side and held her tight, using his fingers to gently toy with the long black strands of her hair that fell nearly halfway down her back.

"Thank you for always making me feel safe, Charming," she murmured.

"I will always protect you, Snow," he stated earnestly.

"And I will always protect you," she replied with a soft smile. She stretched forward slightly and gave him a tender kiss before settling back onto her pillow and closing her eyes.

Charming also closed his eyes, but he stayed awake until he heard her breathing reach a slow and even rhythm and she once again fell into a deep and peaceful sleep.


End file.
